CSI Friends
by Chapin CSI
Summary: Short stories, unrelated except where indicated. Stories 1 and 2 deal with Sara's newborn baby. Who's the father? you decide. Story 3: Catherine's heart wasn't the only one broken after Warrick got married. Note: brief mention of GSR.
1. Baby: shopping for a gift

"Baby"

Sara's just had a baby, and the guys are choosing gifts. (But who's the father? That's for you to decide. Personally, I think it's Gil ;) )

The gifts mentioned here are real.

* * *

It was an exhilarating day for the members of the night shift. One of their own, Sara Sidle, had just had a baby, a boy, and they were in a thrilled and generous mood. 

Swept by it, all five of them -including the baby's father- had decided to buy a large present and take it to the mother, still recuperating in the hospital.

Unfortunately, they couldn't agree on what to buy.

They'd already got the proud parents a gift; a beautiful crib they'd all pitched-in to get. But now that the baby was born, they wanted to go out and get him all sort of things. The problem was what to get, since each had their own idea on what a baby needed the most. In fact, the discussion got so heated, that in the end they wisely decided that buying baby John a gift each would be more generous.

They certainly didn't want to fight over what to get a newborn, for God's sake.

And that's why just a few hours after Sara gave birth, Gil, Nick, Greg, and Warrick were pushing a cart down the aisles of 'Baby Chic,' the baby store closest to the hospital.

They were still arguing on the merits of their own chosen gift.

"Guys," Warrick said, "We want this baby to love music, don't we?" and he put a large "Rainbow Sound Blocks" set in the cart.

"Well," Nick said, "I think it's important for a boy to love sports." And he put both a Little Slugger Mini Baseball Bat and a Baby's First Sports Bag in the cart.

"We want this baby to be smart," Greg said, adding the three DVD sets of "Baby Vocabulary Builder."

"Well, we want this baby to feel _loved_," Grissom countered, placing a cuddly teddy bear inside the cart.

Catherine, who was walking behind them scoffed.

"Oh, you men," she said, "You're only thinking of the baby. What about the mother?"

They all turned and looked in disbelief at the huge box she was dragging.

"What's that?" Asked Gil.

"Disposable diapers," Catherine said, "A two-month supply."

The men shook their heads.

"No way," Greg said.

"Sara will never use disposable diapers," Nick added.

"She's adamant about using cloth diapers," Warrick said.

"Yeah," Gil nodded, "She says they're more eco-friendly."

Catherine merely smiled.

"Boys," she said, "After one week washing cloth diapers, you bet your asses she'll be happy to have these on hand."

* * *

The End 

Note: I _still_ remember having to wash my baby brother's diapers by hand. Ugh!


	2. Baby: so, who's the dad?

Baby

(Conclusion)

* * *

It was late at night on a Monday, and for once, the members of certain CSI night shift weren't in a cramped conference room discussing a case, or in some cramped motel room, investigating a crime.

Tonight, they were in a cramped hospital room.

Actually, the room was quite spacious; but with seven people in there -five of them holding huge gifts that they just couldn't wait for the other two to see- things were bound to get a bit rowdy. It wasn't till a nurse came in and gave them a stern warning, that they finally quieted down.

When the nurse left, Sara, sitting in bed and still looking a bit wan, gave them a look.

"Are you happy?" she asked in mock reproach.

"Sorry," Nick said, taking Sara's words seriously. "We got carried away."

"Maybe we should come back later," Greg said tentatively, "You've got to be tired, after all -"

"I'm fine," Sara said quickly. After all, it wasn't every day that her colleagues had a chance to act silly; she didn't want to put an end to it too soon. There was someone else to consider, however, and so she added, "As long as _he_ doesn't mind, you can stay," and she eyed the tiny bundle resting by her side.

Sara's baby was lying on his back, comfortably dressed in a light shirt and a diaper. He was blissfully oblivious to the commotion around him, although he did perk up whenever Sara or the man he would one day call 'dad' spoke. He already recognized their voices.

Once she made sure that the baby was all right, Sara looked up.

"I'd really like to see the gifts," she said, "Catherine? Would you please open them up for me?"

Greg, Grissom, Warrick and Nick immediately thrust their gifts in Catherine's direction, but she picked her own gift instead.

"Ta-dah!" she said, holding the disposable diapers for Sara's inspection.

Sara's mouth opened, but no sound came. She visibly made an effort to smile.

"Gee," she muttered, "Hum, thanks."

"You'll thank me with more sincerity in a couple of weeks," Catherine smirked. She glanced around, "Ok, who's next?" Four gifts were pushed into her line of vision, but she ignored them yet again. Instead, she picked a paper bag she'd brought along with the diapers.

"This is from Hodges," she explained, pulling a large, multicolored blanket from the bag. "He made it himself."

Sara's eyes widened.

"He _what_?"

"He crocheted it," Catherine said placidly, "He says it's a great stress reliever."

Sara gingerly took the blanket. "It's soft," she said, frankly surprised –and pleased.

Nick shook his head, "I can't imagine a guy doing a thing like that."

"Or admitting it," Greg muttered.

"Hey, it's Hodges," Catherine said with a shrug, "He's got to do things differently all the time. Now," she added, looking around more animatedly, "What else have we got here?"

Eventually, Catherine opened all the gifts and passed them to Sara, who was delighted to discover that her friends had chosen educational gifts, so different from the generic stuff she'd seen other mothers get. That the guys had put some thought into their gifts was obvious; with each gift that was passed to her, the giver took the time to explain why he'd chosen it, and what he expected to accomplish with it.

"He's gonna be a musician, you'll see," Warrick said. "I mean, remember all those songs I played for him back at the lab? I was nurturing him even before he was born."

"Music is ok," Nick said when his turn came, "As a hobby, I mean. But sports," he smiled, "Sports make a boy's life fuller. I'll see to it that this baby learns every sport -"

"You get injured if you play sports," Greg interrupted, "But when you nurture your brain, the whole world is open to you." He eyed the baby, "I'll be there to teach him chess, which is a way of life in itself."

"Sports and music and chess will be a part of his life," Sara said in a conciliatory manner, "We'll make sure of that. Meanwhile, he can have fun with this," she added, placing Grissom's teddy bear within the baby's reach.

Gil smiled, "I just hope he likes insects. I already ordered an ant farm for him."

"An ant farm?" Nick asked. "Gee, Grissom, I don't think that'd be very safe -"

"Oh, and bats and balls are?" Greg retorted. "You know how many jocks got injured for life when I was in high school?"

"I do," Nick replied, "Do _you_ know how many chess players got beaten up by the jocks?"

"Hey," Catherine said suddenly, "Tone it down, boys. Do you want that nurse to come back?" Noticing that she had the men's attention, she added, "You know, you're acting way too possessive about this child." She glanced at Sara and smirked, "They're starting to sound like all of them had something to do with the baby's conception."

"Hey, we all know who the father is," Sara said a bit defensive.

"Aw, of course we do," Warrick said, looking down at the baby, "I mean, look at his eyes."

They all looked at the baby's bright eyes.

"Look at his chin," Gil added, and they all looked at the child's chin.

Nick reached out and touched a tiny hand. The baby instinctively wrapped his fingers around Nick's index finger and held on tight.

"See?" Nick said, "He's got his daddy's strength, too."

"And his hair," Greg said, noticing the sparse growth crowning the tiny head.

Their words made Sara frown.

"You know," she said slowly, "I've just realized something: My baby doesn't look anything like me!

The guys, still looking at the baby, frowned, too.

Catherine waved a dismissive hand.

"Ah, don't worry, Sara," she said, "Kids grow into their looks. Especially boys."

But Sara didn't seem convinced. She kept looking at the baby, wishing she could see some trace of herself in him. There seemed to be nothing…

…Until, suddenly, and for no apparent reason, the baby smiled.

Sara gasped, but it was Catherine who spoke first.

"You see?"

Together, the men looked at the baby, and then they looked up at the new mom.

"He's got your smile," the baby's father said softly.

"Yeah," the others said.

And then they sighed.

* * *

The end


	3. Warrick's marriage: picking the pieces

Friends in Mourning

Another silly story, this time with a brief mention of GSR

Catherine's heart wasn't the only one broken by Warrick's marriage.

Spoiler: Bodies in Motion. In this episode, Catherine tells him she's always fantasized about him. When the night shift crew decide to go out and celebrate Warrick's marriage, Catherine excuses herself.

Note: I've always thought Mandy had a crush on Warrick, though I only remember seeing them together once (in an episode from season 1). But she looks like cares about him.

* * *

Catherine Willows took a sip of her bourbon on the rocks and held it in her mouth for a couple of seconds. She enjoyed the flavor but mostly, she enjoyed the anticipation. Soon, the amber liquid would slowly slid down her throat, warming her entire body and easing a little of the pain she still felt over Warrick's marriage.

Sitting next to her, Mandy Webster wasn't as self-contained. She simply picked her colorful drink and drained it with a couple of gulps. She gasped a little, put the glass down and then ordered another one.

Glancing at Mandy, Catherine started to feel a bit uneasy. She'd come to the bar half-hoping, half-dreading meeting Warrick here, still celebrating his recent marriage with the rest of the crew. Instead, she'd only found Mandy. Oh, some of the guys were still there, too, but that was only to be expected; but seeing the lab's prim, self-contained fingerprint expert tossing back drinks… Well, that was a shock.

Still, it was what she said after her perfunctory greeting that stunned Catherine the most.

It turned out the young woman had always had 'a thing for Warrick'.

Well, well.

'Welcome to the club' Catherine had mumbled, but thankfully, Mandy hadn't heard.

Now, a couple of drinks later, Catherine covertly watched the fingerprint tech. Funny, her first reaction upon hearing Mandy's confession had been one of outrage. 'How dare she?' she wondered, as if she had any proprietary rights over Warrick. But her anger quickly dissolved after she realized she and Mandy were in the same boat: they'd lost their fantasy man.

They might as well talk about it.

"So, Mandy," Catherine said, "Do you think Warrick is going to -"

To her surprise, Mandy buried her face in her hands.

"Oh, God," she groaned, "I can't believe I told you!" She remained like that for a couple of seconds, then she lowered her hands just enough to look pleadingly at Catherine, "Just don't tell the others, ok?"

"Hey, don't worry," Catherine said, "I'm not telling." Though considering 'the others' were still hanging out at the bar, she didn't see how they could keep this a secret. Fortunately, they weren't paying any attention to Mandy -or to Catherine, for that matter. All they seemed to care about right now were the drinks on their table. They were downing them as if the answer to all their troubles were to be found at the bottom of a glass.

'Good idea,' Catherine thought, and she tossed back her drink. She waved her empty glass at the bartender, and also pointed at Mandy's glass. The bartender nodded.

"Thanks," Mandy said. She glanced appraisingly at Catherine, "So, you came, after all. The guys said you wouldn't; they said you wanted to spend some time with your daughter, or something -"

"Ah, uh, yes," Catherine mumbled evasively.

"So, where is she?"

"Oh. She's back home. You know. She needs her space now that she's a teen. So…"

But Mandy wasn't listening. The bartender had just brought her a new drink and she eagerly picked it up.

"Hey," Catherine said, "Just take it easy, ok?"

Amazingly, Mandy obeyed. She took a leisurely sip of her drink and then set the glass down. She was silent for a moment, then she sighed.

"You know, deep down, I'm happy for him." She forced a smile. "I really am."

'Me, too,' Catherine thought grudgingly.

"Hey, at least I never told him," Mandy said suddenly. "Oh, thank God! I mean, there was a moment today when I almost said it, you know? But I held my tongue just in time!"

"Uh, huh," Catherine muttered, looking into her glass.

"Oh, my God, that would have been so embarrassing," Mandy said, rolling her eyes. "Imagine telling a recently-married man that you've got the hots for him! Ha!"

"I get it," Catherine said, peevishly. "Can't we talk about something else?"

Mandy glanced over her shoulder.

"What I don't understand is why they're looking so pissed off."

Catherine looked too. In a nearby table, Nick, Greg, Henry and a couple of lab techs were hunched over their drinks.

"They look like they'd just been to a funeral, not a bachelor party," Mandy added. "I mean, it's not like their lives have come to an end just because Warrick got married -" Unfortunately, saying the words out loud made her sad again. She tossed the rest of her drink and then waved at the bartender, "Bring us another round!"

"Whoa," Catherine said, "Don't you think you've had enough?"

Mandy didn't reply. She was busy counting bills and placing them on the counter.

"Keep 'em coming," she told the bartender.

"Mandy -"

"Ah, let her be," Greg said, suddenly appearing by their side. "Those are non-alcoholic cocktails." He picked a glass and sniffed it. "Syrup, coloring, and soda -that's all."

"Hey, it's the sugar content in them that worries me," Catherine replied, "Tomorrow she's gonna wake up with big, puffy bags under her eyes. It's not gonna be a pretty sight, believe me."

"None of us is gonna wake up looking good," Greg shrugged. He paid for a half-dozen beers and returned to the table.

Mandy followed him with her eyes.

"Hey," she said loudly, "Can you explain to me why you're acting like someone's just died? I mean, Warrick got married -" she gulped, then valiantly finished, "So what?"

Nick looked up at last.

"Are you kidding?" he said indignantly, "This is a tragedy of epic proportions! I mean, you've never heard of The Two Musketeers, have you? It was thee –I mean, Three!"

Catherine smiled to herself; Nick was cute when drunk. A bit stupid, but cute.

"Now that he's married," Greg added, "He won't be coming to the gym anymore -"

"And there won't be free passes to that Jazz Club he plays in on the weekend -" Henry muttered.

"- 'cause there won't be any Jazz anymore," Greg finished. "His lady hates Jazz –can you believe that? How could he marry a woman who hates jazz?"

"But you don't like jazz!" Catherine retorted.

"Well, it's the principle of the thing!" Greg replied. "And forget about him playing basketball with us every Saturday morning -"

"'Cause his lady will want him to spend all his free time with her," Nick finished. "Without Warrick, the day shift's gonna cream us from now on!"

By the time the men finished telling their list of grievances, Catherine had already ordered a fourth drink and Mandy –well, Mandy had lost count.

"So," Greg said solemnly, "If you want to know why we are here, it's because we're mourning the death of our friend, so to speak."

Catherine rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on -" she said, "You're taking it too hard -"

"It's never gonna be the same, Catherine," Mandy said, "You know that."

Catherine sighed.

No, it wasn't gonna be all right.

One by one, they all sighed and looked down into their drinks, their minds focused on Warrick Brown.

Suddenly, a voice broke in.

"What are you still doing here?"

They practically jumped at the sound of that voice. Gil Grissom was standing there, looking at them with obvious surprise.

Catherine frowned.

"What are _you_ doing here? They said you got a call and had to leave in a hurry."

"Yes, but I had to come back."

They all looked at him, waiting for an explanation. Surely Gil Grissom wasn't there to get drunk too...

_Or was he?_

Grissom seemed to know what they were thinking. He smiled.

"I forgot my book," he said gently, just as the bartender slid a heavy tome across the counter. As Grissom reached for the book, something on his hand glinted under the lights.

Catherine was the first to notice. She gasped in disbelief. So incredible was the sight, she had to look around to make sure the others had seen it too. If they hadn't, then maybe she was drunker than she thought.

But Mandy had seen it, too. She was openly gaping.

Catherine finally managed a word.

"Grissom? Wha -" she couldn't finish. She could only point at Grissom's hand.

Grissom followed her line of vision. He looked at the thin gold band on his finger as if he hadn't noticed it before.

"Oh, this?" he said casually, "It's a ring, Catherine."

"But… but you -_you_?"

Grissom merely smiled.

Catherine's jaw dropped.

Greg wasn't as restrained.

"Oh, for God's sake, not you, too!" he said indignantly. He looked at Nick, "You know what this means, don't you? Sara's off the track team now."

"Oh, come on," Nick groaned. "What is wrong with you people? Seriously," he added in disgust, "Is there an epidemic going around, or what?"

Catherine shook her head.

"If there is, I'm immune to it," she muttered. "Story of my life." She glanced at the bartender.

"Keep' em coming?" he asked promptly.

Catherine was about to nod but Grissom intervened.

"Actually, no." He looked around, "We're leaving. Come on, guys," he said gently, "I'm driving you home. Oh, and," he glanced at Greg, "Sara's _not_ leaving the track team." He smiled, "She even included it in her vows."

* * *

The End


End file.
